Kenmore Intuition 28014 Canister Vacuum Review

September 24, 2012

I was offered a chance to review a Kenmore vacuum cleaner and after a bit of research decided to try my first canister vacuum. Consumer Reports liked the Kenmore Intution 28014, I thought I might, too. We also have a flight of 14 stairs that’s easier to vacuum with a canister than a traditional upright. We also have hardwood or tile floors throughout the house and will be adding rugs eventually. The Intuition is well-suited to go from one surface to the other with ease.It also comes with pet-hair removal tools, whould I lose my sense and agree to the dog that everyone else in the house seems to want.

Given the shiny blue exterior and high tech look, I convinced my husband to give it a try. And after he vacuumed up I made him write a review. Score!

It’s probably cliché to review a vacuum cleaner by saying it sucks, but Kenmore’s Intuition really does. I haven’t used a canister vacuum since the 1970s. Owning one disappointed me because, with the stand-up version my mother had gotten rid of, I could pretend it was a microphone and perform my Elvis impersonation.

With the full brush head for carpets.

The Intuition not only picks up dirt and dust far better than I recall from the Gerald Ford era and anticipates our house full of hardwood floors, but comes with features that, while intuitive in some cases, certainly improve the vacuuming experience.
My wife, the blogstress, is nearly a foot shorter than me, and the Intuition comes with an easy-to-adjust telescoping extension wand. The two nozzles that come into contact with the floor nest into each other and snap easily into place. Well labeled foot pedals help identify how to take the wand out of the nozzle assembly, so you can attach accessories and go at harder-to-reach spots.

Attachments like brushes and crevice-getter-atters snap into pre-defined spaces in the body of the motor unit

With the smaller head for hard surfaces.

(which Kim calls “Scooter”). Not that you can’t lose them, but it’s just a little bit harder. The spring-loaded extension cord winds up at the press of a foot pedal and the buttons to turn the unit on and off and change from carpeted to hardwood floors are near your fingertips so that you don’t have to crouch down to do anything. A lit-up display explains what mode you’re in and how much sucking it is doing.

The canister body itself has a built-in handle and can be moved upright or lower to the ground. The unit is much lighter than I remember canisters being when I was 10 years old. Is it because of more plastic or because I’m bigger? Who knows?

In any case, the vacuum does a great job, especially on our stairs, which have always been difficult to clean. Hand vacs never have the power to do a decent job and uprights are difficult to manipulate on stairs. The Intuition with its extendable wand and extra-long hose have made it easy to safely and completely vacuum every part of the stairs. And because it’s light and compact enough, carrying it up and down the stairs is not at all a hassle and it consumes a modest amount of closet space.

This was the vacuum cleaner we’ve been waiting for to tackle our hardwood floors and stairs. We look forward to many years of keeping the house clean with it.

One-touch controls in the handle.

We were provided with this vacuum for cleaning and review purposes. The vacuum retails for roughly $450 and is available at Sears and through online retailers.